


Should I Stay or Should I Go?

by soidade



Category: Stranger Things - Fandom
Genre: Coming of Age, Gen, High School, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Self-Discovery, maine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2020-11-26 05:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20924996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soidade/pseuds/soidade
Summary: The Byers family has moved to Maine to have a new, safer life. Will Byers goes on a journey of self-discovery.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work is going to be heavily focused on Will, his relationships with his family, and relationships he forms with OCs. Since it takes place outside of Hawkins, there are a lot of OCs in this work! It is rated Teen for language and discussion of sex and sexuality, though I don't intend for there to be any sex depicted. I hope to update this once a week until it is finished!

Joyce pushed a brochure across the table toward Will. “There,” she said. You’re all registered and ready to start next Monday. Both of you,” she added, looking at El. “Will and Jane Byers.”

“Hopper,” El said. “Jane Hopper.” 

Joyce’s face fell. “I’m sorry, sweetie. There will be too many questions about why you’re living with me. It’s easier this way.” 

El nodded sadly and looked back down at her sandwich. 

Will, meanwhile was flipping through the brochure. “The Cape Elizabeth Capers?” He said incredulously. “Our team is called the Capers?” 

“It’s quaint,” Joyce said. 

Will pushed the brochure away and sighed. “So we start Monday?” It was Friday now, and Will wasn’t sure if he was ready to become a Caper quite yet. 

“Next Monday,” Joyce corrected. “That way we’ll have some time to finish unpacking and get you two ready for your new school.” She reached over and tousled Will’s hair. “You need a haircut.” 

Will ducked away from his mom’s hand. “I don’t know,” he said, running his fingers through his hair, which had grown surprisingly long. “It’s different.” The long hair made Will think of Judd Nelson, or some other rebellious guy in a movie. Which probably wasn’t an attitude that Will could pull off, but at least it was a change. 

“But I can’t see your beautiful face,” Joyce said, leaning forward and grabbing both of Will’s cheeks. 

He squirmed away again. “Ugh, Mom! Maybe I’ll cut it short, then.” 

“Whatever you want, sweetie. We’ll go get it cut tomorrow.”

“I can go by myself,” Will said. He stood up and put his plate in the sink. 

“Will, we’ve been here less than a week. I don’t want you going into town by yourself.”

“I’m fourteen, mom. I’m not a little kid anymore!” At least, that was what he’d been trying to prove to himself since he found out they were leaving Hawkins. 

Joyce sighed, exasperated. “At least take your sister,” she said, gesturing to El. She stopped, suddenly realizing what she had said. “I mean--”

“It’s okay,” El said. “Everyone’s supposed to think that anyway, right? And besides, I like it.” She shrugged. “I like having brothers.” 

Will smiled at her. “So, do you want to go into town with me tomorrow, sis?” 

El grinned. “Yes.” 

The next day the two of them ventured out into Cape Elizabeth. They could have gone into Portland, the biggest city in Maine, which was only a bus ride away, but Joyce wanted them to stay local. And, Will begrudgingly admitted to himself, it was nice to be able to walk into town. They would have to get used to it, anyway. This was supposed to be their new home. 

Their first stop was the barbershop. El waited near the front, reading a magazine, while Will hopped into the barber’s chair, suddenly nervous. It was the first haircut he’d gotten without his mom there. 

“What’ll it be?” The barber asked him. 

“Um, shorter?” Will looked around at the photos posted around the shop. There were short, military-like haircuts and ridiculous teased hairstyles that probably took a whole can of hairspray and made Will miss Steve. Finally, he saw a style he liked. It was shorter on the sides and looked pushed back in the front. “Like that,” he said, pointing at the picture. 

“You got it, kid.” The barber began cutting his hair. After several minutes of speedy cutting, he squirted something into his hand and used it to slick back the front of Will’s hair. “Take a look,” he said, gesturing to the mirror. 

Will couldn’t believe it. He looked—did he dare even think it? He looked cool. He felt like James Dean. If only he had a leather jacket to complete the look instead of a flannel shirt. He stared at himself in the mirror for another moment before he remembered where he was. 

“Thank you,” he told the barber. “It’s great.” 

The barber smiled and patted Will on the back. “You can pay up front,” he said. “You’re gonna want some of this gel, too.”

Will walked to the front of the shop and called out to El. “I’m done!” 

El stood, her eyes wide. “Different,” she said. 

“Very different,” Will agreed. “Do you like it?”

El stared for a moment, considering. “Yes,” she said finally. “It’s nice.”

“Good,” Will said. “I’m glad.”

He went to the front desk where the barber was waiting at the register and paid with the money his mom had given him. In a moment he was walking out of the shop with a bag containing some toxic-looking green hair gel, El by his side, a new spring in his step. 

“Where next?” El asked. 

“I don’t know,” Will said. “Let’s go see what kind of shops there are.” 

There was a souvenir shop with magnets shaped like the state of Maine and model lighthouses, and a women’s clothing shop that delighted El. She tried on a dozen hats, with Will giving a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to each one. He briefly admired some things in the window of the menswear shop next door, but just shook his head when El asked if he wanted to go inside. He knew he wouldn’t be able to afford anything in there. 

Soon they came upon a shop that made Will stop dead in his tracks. Beautiful paintings hung in the window along with a sign that said “Sale! 50% off all paintbrushes!” And another announcing “art lessons given here”. 

“Let’s go in there!” Will said. He rushed in without waiting for El’s response, but she was close behind him. 

Once inside, Will didn’t know where to look first. There were art supplies stacked on every available surface: paints and papers and more kinds of brushes than Will had even known existed. The walls were hung with framed art, each piece accompanied by a card with the name of the artist and a price. He stopped at a portrait of a young woman. Something about the piece called out to him. It was a simple portrait, but it captured the look in her eyes better than any photograph could. It was a mixture of kindness and melancholy that tugged at Will’s heart in a way he didn’t quite understand. 

“Like that one?” Suddenly there was a voice at Will’s side. He jumped and looked around quickly. El was across the store, picking up each paintbrush in turn. The voice next to Will came from an older woman who had long gray hair to her waist and a lot of beaded jewelry. 

“Yes,” Will said. “It’s beautiful.”

“Well, I had quite the pretty young model,” the woman said with a chuckle. 

Will shook his head. “No. I mean, sure, but that’s not what I meant. It’s—it’s the emotion. You painted this?”

“Sure did,” the woman agreed. 

“So you’re—“ Will looked at the card accompanying the painting. “Dorothea Geraldine Hazelton?” 

“Friends call me Dot,” she said. 

Will nodded silently. He wasn’t sure what to say to that. Was it an invitation for him to call her that? “I’m Will,” is what he finally settled on. “That’s my sister,” he said, pointing at El across the room. “We just moved here.”

Dot gave an elaborate, theatrical bow, holding out her long skirt as she did so. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Will. Welcome to Cape Elizabeth and to my shop. Are you an artist?”

“I draw,” Will said. “I’m not as good as that,” he added, gesturing to her painting again. 

“Will, I have been drawing and painting for over 50 years and teaching art for 35. If someone as young as yourself were already as good as that, I might as well give up the whole thing.”

“I guess that’s true,” Will said. “You have classes here?” 

Dot smiled mischievously. “Let me get you a flyer.” She began to walk off. “Be right back!” She called. 

El reappeared at Will’s side. “Ready to go?” She asked. “It’s almost lunch time.” 

“Almost,” Will said. “She’s getting a flyer for me. About art classes.”

“Why do you need classes?” El asked. “You’re good.” 

“Not that good,” Will said, pointing at Dot’s painting again. 

El shrugged. 

“Here we are, here we are!” Dot bustled toward them. “Have a look,” she said, thrusting a flyer into Will’s hands. “Pastels on Mondays, oil painting on Wednesdays, life drawing on Fridays. All in the afternoon, so you could come after school.” 

Will looked down at the flyer, excited. He wanted to take all the classes. But when he saw the listed registration fees, he knew that wasn’t likely. He could probably convince his mom to pay for one, but that didn’t even include the cost of supplies. 

“Which one is, uh,” Will tried to think of a tactful way to ask which would be less expensive to do. “Which class uses the least supplies?” 

“Hm? Oh, that’d be life drawing. Just your paper, pencils, and charcoal.” 

That sounded good. Will already had all those supplies. 

“You’ll have to check with your parents about that one, though,” Dot said with a wink. 

“I will,” he said, unsure why he should have to check about that one more than the others. “I gotta get going, but—oh, this is my sister, Jane.” He was suddenly brought back from his art class fantasies by El tugging at his arm. “Jane, this is…” he trailed off, still not sure what to call her. 

“Dot,” she finished with a smile. “Pleased to meet you, dear. I hope to see you both soon!” 

“Me too!” Will said. He couldn’t believe Cape Elizabeth had an art shop and an art teacher. Maybe moving away from home wouldn’t be all bad.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read Chapter 1! Here is Chapter 2. I outlined the entire fic and it should be 16-18 chapters long. I intend to post one chapter a week until it is done.

“Life drawing?” Joyce said. “I don’t know, honey.”

Will finally had the chance to show his mom the flyer a few days later. He felt like he had hardly seen her, or Jonathan, since they moved in. They had both been out constantly looking for jobs. When they were home, their time was spent unpacking and organizing. 

“It won’t be expensive,” Will insisted. “I already have all the supplies.”

“It’s not about that. Do you know what you draw in a life drawing class?”

“People?” The flyer had specified live models, and Will could only assume they were human. “Uh, live people?”

Joyce smiled. “Naked people,” she said. 

“Oh.” Will’s face suddenly felt hot. “Why?”

Joyce shrugged. “To focus on anatomy, I think.”

“Well, I need to work on drawing anatomy if I want to draw people, right?” 

“I guess that’s true.” Joyce sighed and gave Will a strange look. She had been looking at him that way a lot since he got his hair cut. It was almost a sad look—wistful. “If you think you’re mature enough to handle it, then I guess it’s okay.”

“Of course,” Will said. He tried to sound more confident than he felt about it. He’d never seen another person naked. He wondered how he would feel about it. Awkward, probably, but maybe other feelings too. Guys liked to look at naked girls, right? Would Will like to look at naked girls? He didn’t care much about looking at clothed girls, really. Sure, he sometimes thought a girl was pretty, but nothing about them made him feel the way his friends seemed to about girls. Maybe seeing them naked would change that, but Will wasn’t sure that art class would be the best place for those feelings to awaken in him for the first time. 

What would his friends back home say if he told them about the class? Something stupid, he was sure. And they thought Will was the immature one. 

His first class would be on Friday. He had to practice. It would be embarrassing if he was the worst in the class, and he hadn’t been drawing much lately. He sat at his desk with a pencil and a sheet of paper, and tried to draw a person. 

He could get the general shape of a person easily enough from his head, but the figure on the page looked stiff, unnatural. It wasn’t real, like the girl in Dot’s painting. 

Will went to the living room and grabbed a magazine that his mom had left lying on the coffee table. Back in his room, he flipped through it, waiting for an image to jump out at him. He finally stopped on a cigarette ad, a woman with one hand on her hip and a mischievous smile. She looked a little ridiculous, Will thought, with her huge hair and shoulder pads, but her pose was dynamic and her expression was interesting. He started sketching. 

Suddenly the door burst open. Will jumped, his pencil skidding across the page. “What?” He shouted. 

“Dinner’s ready,” El said calmly. 

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you to knock?” Will said, irritated. He felt bad as soon as he said it. No, of course they didn’t. The people who raised her didn’t teach her how to do anything except move things with her mind and summon unimaginable horrors. 

“Why?” El asked. “Are you doing something bad?” She craned her neck to see what was on his desk.

“No!” Will flipped his sketchbook over so she couldn’t see what he was doing. “It’s just—it’s my room! You’re supposed to knock before you come into someone’s room.” He stood and started out of the room. “Alright, let’s have dinner, then.”

They walked to the kitchen, where the table was piled high with KFC buckets and containers. 

“Well,” said Joyce, gesturing to the food. “I thought I’d put my new employee discount to use.” 

“You got the job!” Will exclaimed. “Awesome!”

“Well, it’s something,” said Joyce. “I can’t say I won’t keep looking for something else that won’t leave me greasy and smelling like chicken at the end of the day.” 

“It’ll be alright,” Will said, putting a piece of chicken and a biscuit on his plate. “And maybe something else will open up soon.”

“I have some news, too,” Jonathan said. “The local paper agreed to take me on as an assistant photographer on a trial basis. If they’re happy with me after a few months they’ll offer me a permanent job.” 

“That’s wonderful, sweetie,” Joyce said, sitting down with her plate. “When you save up some, you could start taking classes at the college in Portland.”

Jonathan shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I don’t need college. This could be a good gig.” 

“Well, don’t rule it out right away,” Joyce said. “You need to keep your options open.” 

“With this and my experience back in Hawkins, I won’t need college to get a good job. I just wish Nancy was here.” 

Will raised his eyebrows. “At least she won’t get you fired this time,” he mumbled through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. 

“Well, our boss’s body was taken over by monster,” Jonathan said, irritated. “So I really don’t think it was her fault.”

Will rolled his eyes. If he had thought his brother might spend more time with him now that his girlfriend wasn’t around, he had been sorely disappointed. Jonathan was pining. Will understood—he missed Mike and the others, too. But he also missed his brother sometimes. 

“Boys,” Joyce said sternly. Her tone made it clear that she wasn’t going to tolerate any bickering. 

“Sorry,” Will said quietly, not lifting his eyes from his plate. 

They all are quietly for a few minutes, until Joyce broke the silence. “So, El, are you excited for your first day of school?” 

El shifted uncomfortably. “I’ve never been to school before.”

Joyce put her hand on El’s shoulder. “It’s okay to be nervous, sweetie. But you’re going to do great and make lots of friends.”

El sighed. “Friends.”


	3. Chapter 3

Will went to his first art class with his supplies, a permission form signed by his mom, and butterflies in his stomach. He walked into the art shop and looked around briefly before hearing Dot’s voice from another room. He followed the sound through an open door and found Dot chatting animatedly with a few students, while others set up at easels arranged in a circle around the room. 

When she saw him, Dot threw her hands up as though seeing him were the greatest surprise. “Will! You made it.” 

Will smiled, feeling a little awkward as people all around the room turned to look at him. “Heh, yep.” 

“Glad to have you here! Valerie here is also a new student.” She gestured to the girl she’d been chatting with, who looked to be about Jonathan’s age. Valerie gave a small wave, and Will smiled faintly at her. 

“Let’s get you both set up,” Dot said. “It’s almost time to get started.” 

Dot showed Will and Valerie how to adjust their easels. When they were settled in, she turned to walk to the front of the class. “Oh, wait!” She said suddenly, turning back to Will. “Your permission form, dear.” 

Will gave her the form, blushing. Looking around the room, he didn’t think anyone else was young enough to need parental permission to be here. Valerie smiled at him sympathetically, but didn’t say anything. 

Will busied himself setting up his supplies. It didn’t take long—paper, pencils, two sticks of charcoal that he was particularly careful with because they were the only ones he hadn’t snapped in half. He noticed that the other students had very large sheets of paper that filled their easels, and he felt self-conscious about his ordinary sketchbook. He should have asked Dot for more specifics about the required supplies. It was too late for today, though. He’d have to make do with what he had and hope no one noticed. 

People continued to trickle into the room. After a few minutes, Dot looked around and, seeming satisfied with what she saw, clapped her hands once. “Alright, everyone!” She said. “Are we ready to begin?”

Will wasn’t sure if this was a rhetorical question, so he nodded silently. He heard a few mumbles of assent from around the room. 

Dot gestured toward a boy who was sitting in front of one of the easels. “David,” she said to him. “Come on up here.” 

A tall young man--David--walked up to Dot. He had wavy dark hair and was smiling in a way that seemed somehow conspiratorial, as though he was about to let everyone in on some secret joke. It was an infectious smile, for some reason. Will found the corners of his mouth turning up immediately upon seeing him. 

“Most of you know David,” Dot said. “But for those who don’t, he’s my star pupil. He’ll be going off to art school soon, but in the meantime he’s helping me with my classes. Alright, alright.” She waved David away. “We’ll have our model out here in just a moment. We’ll do short, five-minute poses to warm up, and then a few longer ones. David and I will walk around the room to see how you’re doing. Don’t let us distract you!” She turned toward a large screen in the corner that Will hadn’t noticed. “Come on out, Meredith. We’re ready for you.” 

Dot walked away from the center of the room and a woman in a robe emerged from behind the screen. Will’s stomach lurched. He’d been trying to avoid thinking about this eventuality. An actual naked person in front of him. Should he feel something? Should he feel nothing? He looked around at the other students. None of them seemed as tense as Will. They seemed almost bored, like this was routine for them. Will tried to relax. If he could just look calm, at least no one would notice how nervous he was. 

Meredith removed her robe. Will instinctively averted his eyes, then remembered he was supposed to look. Meredith was middle-aged, relatively thin but certainly not built like the fashion models Will had been drawing out of magazines. Not that Will thought the fashion models looked better. He didn’t feel anything in particular about either of them. Certainly some of the things he was seeing were new, but he realized that he hadn’t been particularly curious about them. Will wondered what his friends would be thinking if they were here. 

“Five minutes for this pose!” Dot’s voice snapped Will out of his thoughts. Oh right, he thought, he was supposed to be drawing. 

Will wanted to do a good job. He tried to capture everything he was seeing, to get his drawing perfect. 

“Next pose!” Came Dot’s voice suddenly. Will looked at his paper. He had a detailed face and a body made up of only a few blobs. Five minutes was shorter than he thought. 

“Try to focus on basic shapes for these short poses,” a gentle voice said behind Will. He turned around. It was David.   
Will just nodded. He felt the urge to explain his bad first attempt, to make excuses, but he couldn’t find the words. 

“You’ll get the hang of it!” David added before walking on to the next student. 

Will turned back to his paper and started drawing again. This time, he tried to rough out the whole body, capturing the pose first and then adding volume to the form. When Dot called for the next pose, he looked at his final drawing and was pleased. It wasn’t perfect, but it at least looked human, and reflected the pose that Meredith had been holding. 

By the end of the class, Will was pleased with what he had drawn. He still wasn’t as good as most of the people in the class, but he hadn’t really expected that after one lesson. He felt like he had learned a lot, and he even stopped feeling awkward about drawing a nude model. Well, he was less awkward about it, at least. 

Will smiled to himself as he packed up his supplies after class. The room was loud with the chatter of students, and his hand was sore after drawing so much in such a short time, but he was still happy. As he left the room, David stopped him. 

“Hey, Will, right?” 

Will nodded. He was surprised that David knew his name. Did he look at the class registry? Maybe he just heard Dot say it. 

“I saw your drawings toward the end of class,” David continued. “I told you that you’d get the hang of it!” David grinned, and Will noticed for the first time that he had dimples. 

“Oh,” Will said. His face felt hot, and he was sure he was blushing. “Thank you.” Why did he feel so embarrassed? It was good feedback! 

“You have a lot of potential!” 

Will was sure he must be blushing from head to toe now. “Thanks,” he said. Suddenly he felt that he’d been looking at David’s face for too long. His eyes shot to his own shoes. 

“Well, see you next time.” David clapped Will on the shoulder and a jolt of electricity seemed to go through his body. 

“Yeah, seeya!” Feeling suddenly panicky for a reason he couldn’t identify, Will ran out of the room, past the cashier in the shop, and out the door. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, then headed home, turning the interaction over in his head the whole time, trying to figure out why he had acted so strange.


	4. Chapter 4

Will couldn’t get his hair to cooperate. He couldn’t get it all to stay in place; little pieces kept flopping down over his forehead. Why had he chosen a haircut that had such a learning curve? He kept adding more gel to hold it up, until his hair was one solid piece that looked unpleasantly wet and sticky. He stuck his head in the sink to wash it out and start over. 

“Will!” There was a bang on the door. “I have to use the bathroom too!” 

“Just a minute!” He finished washing his hair and grabbed a towel, squeezing out most of the water then letting the towel fall around his shoulders. With his hair gel in one hand and a comb held in his teeth, he unlocked and opened the door. 

El rushed in before Will could even get all the way out. As soon as he was, the door slammed and he heard the click of the lock. 

Will stopped at the mirror hanging in the hallway, dried his hair as best as he could, then started his second attempt at styling it. Maybe he should ask for a mirror in his room. After a few minutes (why couldn’t he get it that quickly the first time?), he was satisfied with his hair and went into his room to get dressed. 

What you wore on the first day of school was important. The first day of high school. He had expected this day to happen at Hawkins High, where people would know him as Jonathan’s brother at best and Zombie Boy at worst. 

But no one in Cape Elizabeth knew what had happened to Will. They didn’t know anything about him. This was his chance to reinvent himself. As he looked through his wardrobe, though, he realized he didn’t have a lot to choose from. 

Most of his pants were too short, because he had grown so much since he got them. He found his longest pair of jeans and paired them with a long-sleeved polo shirt with stripes. It wasn’t a particularly cool outfit, but he didn’t think it was uncool either. It was neutral enough that hopefully no one would judge him over it. That was the best Will could do. 

Apparently El wasn’t worried about looking neutral. When Will walked out of his room, he saw her in the hallway wearing one of the crazy outfits she had bought over the summer--cuffed jeans, a patterned shirt, and suspenders. Even if the outfit was a little loud, Will thought she looked cool. He gave her a thumbs up. 

“You ready?” he asked. 

El nodded. “I think so.” She looked terrified. 

“I know what you mean,” Will said. He realized that he probably didn’t, not entirely. He was nervous, but at least he had been to a school before. “It’ll be okay.” He tried to be reassuring even if he didn’t quite believe himself. 

“Alright, you two,” Joyce called to them from the kitchen. “We gotta get going soon, come have some breakfast!” 

Will and El walked into the kitchen, and Will poured two bowls of cereal. They ate silently, with Joyce watching them closely. She looked almost as nervous as El. She checked her watch. 

The moment Will and El finished their cereal, Joyce stood up. “Let’s go,” she said. “You don’t want to be late on your first day.” 

Even though the school wasn’t far, Joyce had insisted on driving them. Will didn’t mind too much. It was a little too far to walk and El didn’t have a bike. They could take the bus, but walking onto a bus full of strangers on their first day was a terrifying prospect to Will. 

During the drive to school, Joyce made anxious small talk, asking them which classes they were looking forward to and whether they had heard about the award-winning marching band. Will barely heard her. He couldn’t concentrate. He fidgeted in his seat and looked out the window, his stomach lurching when the school came into view. 

Joyce parked the car. “I’ll walk you into the office,” she said. “Make sure you get all your classes and everything.” 

“No!” Will said. He couldn’t think of anything more embarrassing than his mom walking him to the office on his first day of high school. “I mean, we’ll be okay,” he added. “They have our information and everything, right?” 

Joyce hesitated. “Well, yeah, but--” 

“We can do it ourselves. Right, El?”

“Jane,” El said, then she nodded. “We can do it.” 

“Jane,” Will corrected himself. “Mom, me and Jane will be fine. We’re not little kids.” 

Joyce looked teary. “Okay,” she said. “Just let me--” She unbuckled her seatbelt and reached over to El in the passenger seat and gave her a hug and a kiss, then reached into the backseat to do the same to Will. 

“Mom!” Will said, wiping his face where she kissed. He hugged her back, though. 

“I’ll be here at three to pick you up,” she said. “And if you’re not here, I’ll come in and find you, so be on time!” 

“We will,” Will said as he got out of the car. “Bye!” 

They walked to the main office and stopped at the front desk. 

“Hi,” Will said to the receptionist. “We’re new students?” 

“Oh, yes,” the receptionist said. “We’ve been expecting you! Wait here for just a moment.” 

She came back after a moment and handed each of them a piece of paper. “Here are your class schedules,” she said cheerily. 

Will looked at his schedule. Algebra, American History, Biology, English, Gym and French. Nothing exciting, but he hadn’t really expected anything exciting--it was school. He glanced at El’s schedule. 

“We have all the same classes!” Will exclaimed. 

“Yes,” the receptionist said with a warm smile. “Everyone thought that would make the adjustment easier for you two.” 

“Yeah, that’s great,” Will said, smiling at El to try to reassure her. She still looked nervous. “Thanks.” 

The receptionist showed them to their homeroom. Since the final bell hadn’t yet rung, students were milling around and talking. The teacher sat at her desk, writing in a large binder. Will was anxious, but he knew how much more anxious El must be, so he felt like he should take the lead. He walked to the teacher’s desk, making sure El was following at his side, and spoke to the teacher. 

“Hi,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. “I’m Will Byers. This is my sister Jane. We’re new.” 

The teacher looked up from her desk. “Yes, of course. I’m Mrs. Lane.” The bell rang then, and all the students took their seats. It quieted down, but Will could hear a few whispers that he assumed were about him and El. 

Mrs. Lane stood up. “Boys and girls,” she said, addressing the class. We have two new students joining our class today. This is Jane and Will Byers. Jane and Will, why don’t you tell us something about yourselves?” 

Will’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected to speak in front of the class. “Um,” he said. “We’re, uh, we’re from Indiana,” he managed to choke out. 

“That’s nice,” Mrs. Lane said. “Jane?” 

El froze. Her mouth moved slightly, but no words came out. Will looked frantically from El to Mrs. Lane. He didn’t know what to do. “Um,” he said again, but he didn’t know what to follow it up with. He looked directly at Mrs. Lane. “She’s shy,” he whispered to her, but it was loud enough for the class to hear. He heard a few giggles. 

“Ah,” Mrs. Lane said, clearly feeling how awkward the situation was. “Why don’t you take your seats.” She gestured toward two empty desks. 

El was still frozen. Will grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the desks. They both sat, and Will leaned toward El. 

“I wish she didn’t make such a big deal out of it,” he whispered. 

“Well,” a voice came from Will’s other side. It came from a skinny black boy who was smiling good-naturedly at them. “We only have 300 students, so a new kid is kind of a big deal.” 

“Two new kids is even bigger,” said the sandy-haired boy sitting behind him. “That’s a .67% increase.” 

“God, you’re a nerd,” said a third boy, rolling his eyes. “I’m Rick, by the way,” he added to Will and El. 

“Sam,” said the first boy. 

“Adam,” said the sandy-haired one, adjusting his glasses. 

“Nice to meet you,” Will said. 

“You probably don’t know anybody yet,” Sam said. “So if you want to sit with us at lunch, you can.” 

“Thanks,” Will said. He was surprised that Sam reached out to them so quickly, but pleased. If they could make friends right away, things would be much easier. 

“Enough talking, everyone,” Mrs. Lane said. She stood and started reading from a paper, making announcements about football games and cafeteria menus. Will barely listened. He was stuck in his own head, torn between embarrassment at their awkward introduction to the class and excitement that Sam had invited them to sit with him, Adam, and Rick at lunch. Could making friends really be that easy? 

Will and El’s next few classes went smoothly. None of the other teachers made them speak in front of the class, and they saw Sam, Rick, and Adam a few more times. 

At lunch, they walked into the cafeteria, each carrying a brown bag lunch that Joyce had packed. Will looked around, trying to spot one of the boys from homeroom. He saw them after a moment and walked over, gesturing for El to follow him. 

“Hey,” he said when they reached the boys’ table. “Is it still okay if we sit here?” 

Adam smiled. “Is the hypotenuse the longest side of a triangle?” 

“Uh,” Will began. He couldn’t remember the answer, so he wasn’t actually sure whether Adam was trying to say yes or no. 

“Ignore him,” Rick said. “He’s just being a nerd, which is normal for him. Sit down.” 

“Thanks,” Will said. He sat, with El hesitantly following. 

“So how’s your first day going?” Sam asked. 

Will shrugged. “It’s okay. Everyone’s been pretty nice. But, you know, it’s school.” 

Sam laughed. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. Can’t be too exciting. Even if it’s a new school, it’s still just school.” 

“How about you, Jane?” Adam asked, turning to her. “Going okay?” 

Suddenly Will realized he hadn’t heard El say a word all day. He had been so in his own head that he didn’t notice. He felt horrible. He should have asked her how she was doing before some guy they just met did. 

El shrugged one shoulder. She didn’t look up from the table as she spoke. “It’s okay,” she said softly. 

Adam frowned. “Is it really different from your old school?” His voice was softer now, matching El’s tone. 

El just shrugged. Will scooted closer to her and patted her arm. 

“It’s good,” he said. “It’ll be okay.” He hoped she wouldn’t be mad at him for barely talking to her all day. It was hard to talk openly around people. There were too many secrets. 

The rest of the day was quiet. It was possibly Will’s favorite day of gym class ever--mainly because he and El were excused from playing dodgeball with the other students. French was utterly incomprehensible, and all Will could do was space out and hope that his mom or Jonathan could help. 

At dinner that night, Joyce wanted to know everything about their first day, but Will was too tired to say much. 

“Did you at least make any friends?” Jonathan asked after Joyce was done interrogating Will and El. 

“Yeah!” Will said, brightening. “We met some nice people. They invited us to sit with them at lunch.” 

“That’s great!” Joyce exclaimed. 

“But they’re all _boys_,” El added, scowling.


	5. Chapter 5

At the end of his first week at Cape Elizabeth High, Will couldn’t wait to get to his art class. The week had been exhausting, full of new people and catching up on difficult subjects. Dot’s art shop and the life drawing class had become comfortingly familiar to Will.

Will was setting up his supplies at an easel when David walked up to him. 

“Hey, man!” David said. “How’s it going?” 

“Pretty good,” Will said, fiddling with the clip that held his paper—now properly sized—onto the easel. He had trouble looking David in the eye for some reason he couldn’t quite identify. He was intimidated, probably, since David was such a good artist. Not that he had actually seen any of David’s art. 

“Well,” David said, patting Will on the shoulder. “Keep up the good work.” 

David had patted Will like that a few times now, and while Will no longer had the same visceral reaction that he’d had the first time, he still felt something. He didn’t know what it was, and he was trying not to think about it too much. He wished David would just stop doing it, so he wouldn’t have to think about it. 

But he also kind of wished he would do it more. 

David continued walking around the room, chatting with a few other students. Shortly after, Dot walked to the front of the room. 

“Hello, everyone!” She said, as theatrical as always. “I’m so excited to welcome a new model to the class today. We’ll be doing the same exercises as usual, short poses first and then a few longer ones. Come on out, Rachael.” 

The model, Rachael, came out from behind the screen wearing a robe, just as Meredith had in their previous classes. The difference was that while Meredith was older than Will’s mom, Rachael was young, maybe twenty, and pretty. As she took off her robe, Will watched, curious but not wanting to be too weird about it. 

He felt nothing. 

Rachael was pretty, and he could see that. But he wasn’t particularly interested in looking at her body as anything other than a collection of shapes to be drawn. Maybe he was becoming a serious artist, able to view the human form objectively. Or maybe—a voice echoed in his head. It’s not my fault you don’t like girls. Maybe what people said about him was right. Maybe he was...too immature. Maybe he—

“Next pose!” Dot called out. 

Will snapped back to reality. He had hardly drawn anything. 

He heard a chuckle from behind him. “A little distracted?” David asked. 

“What?” Will turned around, flustered. “No, I—“

“Relax,” David said. “I’m just kidding. Here, let me show you something.” He reached out. “I’ve noticed your lines can be a little choppy. You can try a different grip on the pencil to make more fluid lines.” He put his hand on Will’s, adjusting his fingers to different positions on the pencil. 

Will’s heart thumped and his face heated. 

“There you go,” David said, guiding Will’s hand in a long line across the page. 

Will hoped that David couldn’t feel how sweaty his hand had suddenly become. 

“Much better!” David said before dropping Will’s hand and moving on. 

Will continued to be distracted for the rest of class, as he found his gaze straying toward David. Since David had given him such a good tip, he said to himself, he wanted to find out what tips he might give other people. 

But he wasn’t watching the papers or looking at what anyone was drawing. He was watching David’s face—his eyes, his mouth, the dimples he had when he smiled. Will didn’t want to draw Rachael. He wanted to draw David. He struggled to pay attention to what he was doing, and managed to get through class with decent work, though it was clearly not his best. He had to figure out how to stop being distracted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a short one! I'll post again later this week to make up for it. Thank you all so much for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that this chapter contains ableist slurs that may be upsetting to some readers.

Will wasn’t exactly excited to go to school that Monday, but he found that he dreaded it much less than he had in Hawkins. 

El, on the other hand, seemed upset. “I didn’t finish my homework,” she told Will as they arrived at school. 

“It’s okay,” he told her. “I’ll help you.” 

There was some time before homeroom, so they sat down at an outdoor table in front of the school. 

“Let me see,” Will said. 

El sheepishly pulled her math homework out of her bag and handed it to Will. 

Will tried to hide his surprise. El’s handwriting was horrible. She had only finished about half of the problems, and almost all of her answers were wrong. 

“Uh,” he said. “Why don’t you just copy mine?” He wouldn’t generally be in favor of cheating, but he didn’t think there was enough time to do anything else. 

“Is that allowed?” El asked. 

“No. Don’t tell anyone.” 

Will looked around while El copied his homework, watching out for teachers. Luckily none came, but El wrote so painstakingly slowly that she still wasn’t done by the time the first bell rang. 

“That’s okay,” Will said. “You got most of it done. Let’s go to homeroom.”

Will was happy to see his new friends in homeroom, but was distracted from their jokes by El, who seemed more miserable than she had since they moved. He watched her all day, occasionally asking if she was okay and receiving little in response. 

At lunchtime, she told him she would meet him in the cafeteria.

“You don’t want to walk together?” He asked. 

“I have to go to the bathroom,” she said. 

“I can wait for you.” 

“No! Just meet me there.”

“Do you want me to carry your lunch bag?” 

She ignored him, walking toward the girls’ bathroom. 

Will considered waiting outside for her anyway, but she had seemed upset when he suggested it. He started toward the cafeteria. 

A short blonde girl stopped him as soon as he entered the cafeteria. 

“Hi, Will!” She said. 

“Hi, um…” Will vaguely recognized her from one of his classes, but he wasn’t sure of her name. 

“Stacey,” she finished for him. “Me and my friends were thinking, since you’re new here and all, you might not know very many people yet. So if you want to, you can sit with us at lunch.” 

“Oh,” Will said. He was happy enough sitting with Rick, Adam, and Sam, but El had seemed upset that they were all boys. Maybe it would be good for them to sit with some girls today. “Well, I’m just waiting for my sister, but when she gets here I can ask her—“

“Oh.” Stacey’s lip curled. “I was just asking, like, just for you.” 

Will frowned. “Then no,” he said, annoyed. 

Stacey rolled her eyes. “Okay, whatever.” She walked away and stopped in front of two waiting girls. “He doesn’t want to because he has to sit with his retard sister.” 

Will couldn’t tell if she meant for him to overhear, but she was close enough that he heard every word. He clenched his fists. For a moment he stood, frozen by his anger. 

“Ugh,” one of the other girls said. “He’s so cute but she’s sooo annoying. Shouldn’t she be in the special ed class or something?” 

Will wanted to walk over there. He wanted to tell them to shut up about his sister. He wanted to tell them that she wasn’t annoying, they were, and she wasn’t retarded. That he would never like girls who thought it was okay to talk about someone that way. 

He was furious, but he was frozen. It wasn’t the anger, he realized, that kept him from going over and talking to them. It was fear. 

Will had never stood up to a bully before. It was always his friends who stood up for him. It was always Mike, or Lucas, or El. El wouldn’t let someone talk about him that way. She would have stood up for him. But he couldn’t do it. Even in a new school, where no one teased him. No one called him nerd or fag or Zombie Boy. He couldn’t defend his friend, his sister. 

Anger, fear, and shame. He wanted to cry. 

El appeared a moment later. Her eyes were red and puffy. 

“What’s wrong?” they asked each other in unison. “Nothing,” they both replied, turning away from each other. 

They walked to their usual table in silence. 

“Who died?” Rick asked as they sat down. “You both look like shit.” 

“Hey, come on,” Adam said. “Are you guys okay?” he asked, turning to Will and El. 

“Yeah.” Will said. He couldn’t talk to them about this. He wasn’t sure if he could talk to anyone about this. “It’s fine.” 

El nodded. 

They were both quiet for the rest of the day. When they got home, Will was glad to see Jonathan’s car in the driveway. He went inside, dropped his backpack in his room, then went to knock on Jonathan’s door. 

“Come in!” Jonathan called from inside. 

Will opened the door and walked inside. “Can we talk?” 

“Of course.” Jonathan stood, putting his hand on Will’s back to guide him inside. He shut the door. “What’s up?” 

Will sat down on Jonathan’s bed and looked at the floor. “It’s just--you know, bullies.” 

Jonathan sighed and sat down next to Will, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You know what I told you back ho- back in Hawkins. Just ignore them. They just think it’s bad to be different, but it’s not. You’re not like them, and that’s a good thing.” 

Will shook his head. “No,” he said. “Apparently I’m popular or something.” He laughed, but he didn’t really think it was funny. “A girl said I was cute.” 

Jonathan smiled. “That’s cool. I don’t get it. What’s wrong, then?” 

“They asked me to sit with them at lunch, but said El couldn’t come. They said she was annoying and retarded.” 

Jonathan’s smile disappeared instantly. “They said that to you?” 

“Not to me,” Will said. “But I heard them.” 

“Did you sit with them?” 

“Of course not! But I didn’t defend her either. I don’t know. It’s like I just...froze.” He clenched his fists again, the anger flooding back into him. “I was so mad, but I was too scared to do anything.” He laughed again, another humorless laugh. “After everything we’ve had to deal with, I was scared of some stupid girls.” 

Jonathan gave a little half-smile. “High school girls are scary.” 

Will shook his head. He didn’t want to joke about it right now. “I should have defended her. I should have told them to shut up.” 

“I get it,” Jonathan said. “It’s hard, man. Especially with how people treated you in the past.” 

“You would have defended her,” Will said, staring at his shoes. He couldn’t look Jonathan in the eye right now. He was too ashamed of himself. “Or me. And she would have defended me.” 

Jonathan hesitated. 

“You know it’s true,” Will said. 

Jonathan didn’t deny it. “I’m sure she would understand.” 

“I think she was crying in the bathroom today. She wouldn’t talk to me about it.” 

“It’s not your fault,” Jonathan said. “She’s still mourning Hopper. And she misses everyone back in Hawkins.” 

“So do I,” Will said. 

“Me too,” Jonathan said. “So we just all have to be there for each other.” 

“How can I be there for her if she won’t talk to me?” 

“Look,” Jonathan said. “Don’t beat yourself up about this. It’s okay that you didn’t confront those girls in the cafeteria. You’ll be there for her when she really needs you. And don’t worry about her not talking. She will when she’s ready.” 

Will sighed. He wasn’t sure that it was that simple. He still felt bad about not defending El, but he hoped Jonathan was right. Even though he still felt bad, talking to his brother had lifted some of the weight off of Will’s shoulders. Jonathan was right—they all had to be there for each other.


	7. Chapter 7

Will felt like his entire week was just building up to Friday. School was just background noise, a distraction from the important thing: drawing class. 

And David. 

David had become something of a muse for Will. Every artist had to have a muse. Even Dot had one. As Will looked at more of her work, he kept seeing the young woman whose expression had struck him that first day. Many artists drew someone over and over again. Will was no different. 

When he practiced drawing at home, David’s face came to his mind. David’s dark, perfect curls. The way David sat, draping himself over a chair in that effortlessly cool and relaxed way. Will drew David smiling, David frowning, David thoughtful and David joking. Then Will shoved the pages deep inside his desk and didn’t look at them again. They weren’t bad drawings, but Will felt a sense of shame when he thought of them. 

Will was doodling in the margins of his notebook, loose sketches that weren’t recognizable as any particular person, even if there was a clear picture in his mind. He had gotten to French class with several minutes to spare after El had given him the slip. Rick was in his class, but Will wasn’t quite comfortable talking to him without the other guys around. So Will was sitting at his desk doodling absentmindedly when Joanie came up to him. 

“Hi, Will,” she said shyly. Joanie had introduced herself during his first week, and always said hi to him when they passed in the halls

“Hi,” Will said, quickly closing his notebook. 

Joanie didn’t seem to notice that he had been drawing, or that he was clearly trying to conceal it now. She seemed nervous. 

“I was wondering,” she said, twirling a strand of hair and not quite making eye contact. “Do you want to go to the movies with me and some other people on Friday?” 

Will’s eyes widened. He wasn’t sure what he had expected, but it certainly wasn’t that. Was she asking him on a date? Other people would be there. Did that mean it wasn’t a date?

He realized after a few seconds that he had been silent too long, and should probably say something. “I have art class on Fridays after school.” It wasn’t quite an answer, but it was the truth. He didn’t want to miss his class. 

“Oh,” Joanie said. “Well, the movie’s not until seven. Maybe you can still come?” 

“I, uh,” Will began. That would give him plenty of time after his class. “Do you know my sister? Jane?” He wasn’t sure where he was going with this. 

“She can come!” Joanie said quickly. 

“Oh, really?” Will was pleased. After the incident with Stacey and her friends, he felt like he needed to be more careful. He didn’t want to hang out with anyone who wouldn’t also hang out with El. 

“Okay,” Will said. “We’ll come!” 

“That’s great!” Joanie grinned. “I’ll see you there.” 

The bell rang. As class began, Will ran through the conversation again. Other people, and El was invited. It definitely wasn’t a date. 

Will excitedly shared the news with El in the car—since Joyce still wouldn’t let them take the bus—on the way home. 

“Are you sure it’s not a date?” Joyce asked. 

“It’s not!” Will said defensively. “She invited El too!” That was bending the truth slightly. Joanie hasn’t mentioned his sister at all until Will brought her up. But the end result was the same—El was coming, and it wasn’t a date. 

“I don’t know Joanie,” El said. 

Will was shocked by her reluctance. She had been talking about how she wanted to make friends who were girls, and now that a girl wanted to be friends with them, she was still unhappy. 

“Come on,” Will said. “It will be great. A bunch of people will be there.” Joanie hadn’t specified how many people would be there, but he figured there had to be someone El would get along with. 

“Which people?” El asked. 

“I don’t know.” Will hoped that Stacey wouldn’t be involved. He was pretty sure she and Joanie weren’t friends, but it was a small school and everyone knew each other. “I’m sure they’re cool.” He was closer to lying than he was comfortable with, but he really wanted El to come out with him and have fun. 

El shrugged. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Will asked. 

“Okay. I’ll go.” 

Will smiled at her. 

On Friday, Will felt nervous. Joanie smiled at him in French class, but didn’t say anything about their outing later. 

After school, he went to his art class. When Dot announced that David was out of town until the following week, Will felt immensely disappointed. He wished David had mentioned it to him the previous week. They were friends, weren’t they? Almost friends, at least. Close to friends. Class was still good, but it wasn’t the same without him. 

Will and El had a quick dinner at home and worked on homework, then Jonathan drove them to the movie theater. 

“I’ll pick you up after the movie,” he said. “Have a good time!”

Will and El stood awkwardly outside the theater, waiting for the others to arrive. He saw Joanie after a few minutes. She was followed by a girl and a boy who seemed to be somehow cuddling and walking at the same time, which annoyed Will. It was just like Mike and El had been over the summer. 

“Hi, Will,” Joanie said with a smile when she got close. She looked only at him, as though she didn’t even notice El. 

“This is my sister, Jane,” he said, gesturing to El. Joanie had surely met her before, but he felt the need to acknowledge her in that moment. 

“Hi, Jane,” Joanie said. She had an exaggerated smile on her face and spoke slowly. “How are you doing?” 

El looked puzzled. “I’m fine.” 

“Oh, that’s great!” Joanie said with far too much enthusiasm. 

Will didn’t know why she was doing that. He looked around awkwardly. “So who else is coming to the movie?” 

“Oh, it’s just us,” Joanie said. “You know Vickie and Toby?” She asked, gesturing at the couple. They were too busy looking into each other’s eyes to acknowledge the introduction. 

Will’s heart sank. Vickie and Toby, and Joanie had invited Will. It was a date. Why had she agreed to him bringing his sister? 

Will tried to stay positive, to act like nothing was wrong, but he felt sick. He cleared his throat. “Let’s get our tickets!” 

He should have known that this would be another minefield. Will bought two tickets, and Joanie seemed surprised when he immediately handed one over to El. He realized, after Toby bought Vickie’s ticket, that Joanie had probably been expecting Will to pay for her. He thought that was stupid, since he hadn’t even known it was a date, and anyway she had asked him. She didn’t mention it, though, just bought her own ticket and continued inside. 

They sat towards the back of the theater. Joanie sat next to Will, with El on his other side and Vickie on hers. Vickie and Toby started making out almost as soon as the lights went down. Will was angry. He felt tricked. He would never have agreed to this if he knew what it was. He tried to make eye contact with El, to somehow express to her how sorry he was, but she wouldn’t look at him. 

Will tried to watch the movie but he couldn’t pay attention. He was too irritated. At Joanie for not telling him this was supposed to be a date, at stupid Vickie and Toby for the disgusting sounds he heard coming from their direction. And at himself. For letting this happen. For doing this to El when he had been through it, when he knew how bad it felt. And that had been with people who were all already his friends, not a bunch of classmates he barely knew. 

He shifted in his seat continuously, as though he could alleviate his mental discomfort with physical comfort. He put his arm up on the armrest and felt Joanie’s arm next to it a moment later, pressing against his. 

He snatched his arm away and scooted to the other side of his seat, and stayed as far away from Joanie as he could for the rest of the movie. He should feel guilty, but he was too mad. 

After the movie, the others were going to go out for ice cream. 

“We can’t,” Will said flatly, avoiding eye contact with Joanie. “My—our brother is coming to pick us up.” Even if he had been remotely interested in spending more time with them, he’d spent all the money he’d brought on the tickets. 

“Oh,” Joanie said, sounding hurt. “Okay. I’ll see you on Monday then.” 

“Yeah,” Will said. “See ya.” He didn’t bother saying goodbye to Vickie and Toby. No one said goodbye to El. 

After they all walked off, Will and El were left sitting on a bench, waiting for Jonathan. El leaned over with her face in her hands. 

“Hey,” Will said, touching her arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was gonna be like that.” 

She jerked her arm away and said nothing. 

“Really!” Even though he wasn’t mad at El, some of his anger came through in his voice. “I wouldn’t have said yes if I knew!” 

El turned to him finally, wiping her face. “Your girlfriend’s a jerk.” 

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Will was almost yelling. “I don’t even like her! I thought she just wanted to be our friend—both of us!” 

“Nobody wants to be my friend,” El said, her voice cracking. 

“That’s not true. You have lots of friends in Hawkins. It’ll just take a little time here.” 

“It didn’t take you any time.” She turned away again. “Besides, when you all met me, I had my powers. You wouldn’t have wanted me in the party without them.” 

“That’s not true,” Will said again. 

El turned away. 

“Come on,” Will said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “It’s not true.” 

She shook him off, saying nothing. 

“I’m still your friend now,” he said. “And what about the guys at school? Adam and Sam and Rick.” 

“They’re your friends,” she said. “They just feel bad for me. Just like you.” 

Will blinked, taken aback. He felt like he had been hit in the face. “What? That’s...that’s not right. That’s not how I feel.” 

“If you didn’t have to live with me, you wouldn’t even think about me!” El yelled. “You barely even spend time with me at home! You’re always drawing. Who’s that boy you’re drawing? You obviously like him more than me!” 

Hearing these things made Will feel horrible. Was that how he had been acting? He had no idea she felt like that. But his guilt was pushed down when he realized what the last thing meant. 

“What?” Panic. “You looked at my drawings?” Anger. “Why were you even in my room?” 

El had her back to him and her arms crossed. 

“Hey!” Will said, trying to get her attention again. “Stay out of my stuff! My desk is private!” Maybe he had said too much. He hoped she wouldn’t wonder why those drawings were private. He turned away from her too, not trusting himself to say anything without incriminating himself further. 

When Jonathan arrived, they were still facing away from each other, both frowning with arms crossed. 

“What’s wrong?” Jonathan asked. “What happened?” 

“Ask him,” El said as she got into the car. 

“Ask her,” Will countered. 

They drove home in silence.


	8. Chapter 8

Will couldn’t bring himself to talk to El about the fight. 

He felt awful about what had happened with Joanie and the others, and that he had been such a bad friend since they started school. But he was also angry that she had gone in his room without asking, and embarrassed by what she had found there. He wanted to apologize, but he didn’t want to have to explain himself. And some petty part of him wanted her to apologize first. 

They both stayed in their rooms as much as possible over the weekend. At school, El wouldn’t walk to class with Will. She still sat with him at lunch, but refused to talk to him. She did talk to Adam, which was the only silver lining. They seemed to get along well. Maybe they would be friends, even if he and El weren’t right now. 

Will spent all of his free time drawing. With so much practice, he had become an expert on drawing David’s face. Instead of countless doodles and sketches, he decided to draw something he could really be proud of. 

As he drew, Will realized how much he had learned in his class. He had always been good at drawing, and had seen gradual improvement over the years of practice, but this class had been the fastest change he’d seen. His drawings had more volume, they were more lifelike, they were dynamic. For the first time he felt like he might someday be able to capture an emotion as well as Dot had, in that first painting he had seen. 

The portrait was of a smiling David. It was the way he most often looked, and the way that Will most enjoyed seeing him. It was just pencil, but from preliminary sketches to the final, linelessly shaded picture, it took him days. 

It was the best thing Will had ever drawn. With everything he’d learned about form and shading, the picture was lifelike. He could see the spark in David’s eyes, the shine of his dark hair, the humor and hint of mischievousness in his smile. It was perfect. 

He wanted to show it to someone. It felt crazy, but he really wanted to show David. He wanted David to know how much he had inspired Will to improve. How much he’d inspired him in general. Was it too bold? David seemed like a bold person. Maybe he’d like that. 

He finished the drawing on Wednesday afternoon. He knew that there was another art class at the shop that evening. Maybe David would be there. 

His mom and Jonathan were both working that evening, which made it easier to get out of the house alone. He just had to tell El. Even if she wasn’t speaking to him, he shouldn’t leave the house without telling someone. 

He knocked on her door. “El?” He said. “I’m going to the art shop.” There was no reply. “I’ll be back soon.” 

He hadn’t really expected her to reply, but it still hurt. He tried not to let it ruin his mood, and headed out to the art shop.

He took his bike, with the drawing tucked carefully into his backpack so it wouldn’t get ruined. He hadn’t ridden his bike in a while—with El, he always had to walk everywhere. And besides, his mom hadn’t let him ride his bike this late in the evening since—no. He wouldn’t think about that now. He would just think about how exhilarating the wind on his face was, and how beautiful the sunset was, and how proud David would be when he saw the drawing. 

There was a bike rack in front of the art shop. He parked his bike and was going to go inside, but he heard voices coming from the side of the building, so he followed them. 

David was there, a cigarette dangling from his fingers and his other arm wrapped around the waist of a tall red-haired girl. He laughed, then leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. 

Will’s stomach lurched. He turned to leave, but David called out to him. 

“Will!” He said. “Hey man, are you joining the oil painting class?” 

“No.” Will hesitated for a moment. “I was just passing by. I gotta go.” 

“Come here for a sec,” David said, beckoning him over. He turned to the girl. “Steph, you gotta meet this kid. Only thirteen years old, and he’s already the best in the class!” 

Will’s face burned. “I’m almost fifteen.” It was true, sort of. Fourteen was almost fifteen. 

“Right, right,” David said. “Anyway, this is my girlfriend Stephanie. Steph, this is Will.” 

Stephanie leaned over to talk to Will, with her hands on her knees, even though she was only a few inches taller than him. “Hi Will!” She spoke in the same sort of patronizing tone that Joanie had used with El. “Do you have any drawings with you that I can see?” 

“No!” Will said, panicking slightly. The thought of Stephanie seeing the drawing he had done of David made him feel sick. “I mean, I gotta go. I uh, I have an appointment.”

“Alright, buddy,” David said, flicking ash off his cigarette. “See you later.” 

Will didn’t reply, just turned and got out of there as quickly as he could. He got on his bike and rode as fast as he could. The wind stung his eyes, making them water. 

He ran inside when he got home. He didn’t want anyone to see him. Slamming the door to his room behind him, he threw himself on the bed. He cried harder than he had the day he moved away; as hard as he had the night he destroyed Castle Byers. 

He thought about that night, about how he had blown up at Mike. He was jealous. Of course he was. Mike was his best friend, and he was spending all his time with someone else. It made sense to be jealous of that. So why did he feel the same way about David? David wasn’t his best friend. They barely knew each other, and David obviously just thought of him as some little kid. That stung. 

Will thought about what Mike had said that night. The thing that had made him run off, made him want to scream and lash out and destroy things in a way he had never felt before. 

_It’s not my fault you don’t like girls._

What had Mike meant? That Will didn’t like girls...yet? Or—

_It’s not my fault—_

Maybe it was Mike’s fault. Or, no, it wasn’t his fault, of course not. But Mike was the reason he had acted that way, had caused this fight. Will was jealous. Not because he wanted to spend time with his friend, but because he wanted to be with Mike in the way El was. In a way he knew wasn’t possible, which was why he hadn’t admitted it even to himself. Just as Mike said, Will didn’t like girls. He liked Mike instead. 

That was the way he felt about David too, he realized. He felt sick when he saw David kiss Stephanie because he wished David was kissing him. 

It was a stupid crush. Even stupider than a crush on Mike, because David was eighteen and Will was just a stupid kid. 

A stupid gay kid. 

_Damn it._ Will wanted to scream, but he just slammed his fist on the desk as he sobbed quietly. He hoped no one could hear him. 

Everyone had been right. His dad, Troy and the other bullies, Mike—did Mike really know? Did he know everything? Would he still want to be Will’s friend if he knew? 

_I’m gay_, he thought. He was so stupid. How did take him so long to realize that? How did everyone else seem to know? 

How would he hide it?

Will didn’t know what to do. He had to calm down, at least. Someone was sure to hear him cry. He took a deep breath. 

“I’m gay,” he whispered. His voice cracked, but saying it aloud was somehow cathartic. He took another deep breath, slow and shaky, and wiped his face. 

“I’m gay.” He knew it. He’d said it. And now he would have to figure out how to live with it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long posting hiatus! I have several more chapters written which I will post soon, and I am still planning to finish this fic (and possibly write more...we'll see!) Thanks for reading!

Will barely slept. The next morning he sat at the table, eyes red and puffy. 

Joyce felt his forehead. “Are you sick?” 

Will shrugged her off. “I just didn’t sleep well.” 

She looked at him with intense concern. “What’s wrong? You’re not having any _visions_?”

“No,” Will said quickly. “Nothing like that. It’s fine.”

Maybe he should have said he was sick and stayed home from school. But no, he was already behind on work after starting two months into the school year. 

_Maybe I am sick_, he thought. It was the same quiet, nagging voice that had kept him up all night. He pushed it down. He couldn’t think about all that right now. 

When Will and El got to school, Sam, Adam, and Rick walked over to them. 

As soon as he saw Will, Adam frowned, worried. “Hey, are you okay?” He asked. “Did something happen?” 

Rick elbowed Adam. “Don’t be so gay,” he said. 

Will felt a pang, but he didn’t say anything. 

When the bell rang, Sam and Rick rushed off right away. El started to follow, but turned and looked at Will for a long moment. She looked concerned. After a moment, she turned back and continued toward class. 

Adam still stood with Will. “Seriously,” he said. “Is everything okay?” 

Will ignored the question. “Why are you even friends with him?” Rick was an asshole. Sam and Adam weren’t, even if Sam went along with his jokes sometimes. 

Adam shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know,” he said. “We’ve been friends our whole lives, the three of us. Rick wasn’t always like that.” 

“But he is now,” Will said. He had put up with Rick’s comments so far, but he couldn’t let that one go. Not today. “Why don’t you stop being friends with him?”

“It’s a small town,” Adam continued. “And we all live in the same neighborhood. It’s not like I can avoid him. It’s easier to just ignore what he says sometimes. Sam and him are closer to each other now anyway. I get left out a lot of the time. That’s why I’m glad you and Jane are here now.” 

Will smiled. It made him so happy to hear him mention her, and not as an afterthought. He was glad that Adam thought of them both as friends. 

“She’s had some trouble making friends,” Will said. 

“People can be idiots when someone’s a little different.” 

“But not you?” 

“No,” Adam said, smiling. “I love different. Hey, maybe I could introduce Jane to my sisters.” 

“You have sisters?” 

“Yeah. Kim’s a year older than us and Michelle’s a year younger. Maybe Jane would get along with them.” 

“What are they like?” Will asked. 

“I don’t know.” Adam shrugged. “Kind of like me, I guess.” 

“In that case, I’m sure we’ll both get along with them.” 

Adam grinned in reply. 

When the second bell rang, they rushed to class, Will promising to call Adam and make plans once he had talked to his sister. He didn’t mention to Adam that she had hardly spoken to him in days and that he might have some apologizing to do before she did. 

When they got home from school that day, El immediately ran to her room and slammed the door. 

Will sighed. She certainly wasn’t going to make this easy. He knocked on her door. 

“What?” El yelled from behind the door. 

“Hey,” Will said. “Can we talk?”

“No!” She yelled. “Go away!” 

“Please?” He paused for a moment, but when there was no reply, he added, “I want to talk to you about something. And to apologize.” 

The door opened. She was standing there, looking skeptical. She gestured to her desk chair, and Will sat. She took a seat on her bed, facing Will, and raised her eyebrows expectantly. 

“I’m sorry.” That was a good place to start. “I really didn’t know that Joanie was asking me on a date. But that’s not the only thing I have to apologize for!” He added quickly. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been a good friend.” 

“At school,” El said. “You won’t leave me alone. But not like you want to be around me. Like you have to watch me.” 

“I was just trying to protect you,” Will said. “Like a brother would.” 

“Because I can’t protect myself anymore.” 

“No!” Will didn’t want to admit it, but if she still had her powers, he might feel differently. But that wasn’t the only reason he felt like he needed to protect her. “It’s just that you’ve never gone to school before. It’s hard, and kids can be really mean. I didn’t want you to have to deal with that.” 

El looked at him. “Let me try.” 

The sudden realization made Will’s heart sink. He had been so determined to protect her that he had been keeping her from experiencing anything herself. Was it actually his fault that she wasn’t making friends? Or that she wasn’t doing well in her classes? Was he suffocating her that much?

Will nodded. “Okay.” 

“Let me try,” she repeated. “Even if it hurts.” 

“Even if it hurts,” he echoed. “If it does, I’ll be here for you.” 

“I’ll be here for you, too,” El said with a smile. 

“Thank you.” Will smiled back. He really needed someone to be there for him right now, after yesterday. But he wasn’t ready. Anyway, El wouldn’t understand. He didn’t know if she would even know what gay meant. At least the fact that she wouldn’t understand also meant that she wouldn’t hate him. 

“So, um,” Will said. “Adam wants to hang out with us. Both of us. And his sisters.” 

“Not a date?” El asked. 

“What? No!” A date? With Adam? 

“I don’t want to date Adam,” El said.

Of course. A date with her and Adam. That made more sense. 

“It’s not a date,” Will said. “I swear.”

El tilted her head, considering. 

“Adam’s nice!” Will said. “I think his sisters will be too.” 

“Okay,” El said. 

“Okay?” Will was surprised how quickly she had agreed. 

“Okay,” El confirmed, nodding.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly I am only updating this because of the person who left me a comment asking me to. I was so pleased to see that people are still thinking about my story! I wrote this chapter a while ago and was intending to flesh it out more before posting it, but I decided I would post it even though it's a little shorter than I would like. Sorry my updates have been so sporadic. I hope everyone is doing well and that this new chapter brings some joy in these difficult times.

Adam’s house was huge. He had seen the extravagant houses around town, but he hadn’t been able to picture the kind of people who lived in them. He hadn’t realized they were his classmates.

They rang the bell, and a blonde woman with red lipstick answered the door. 

“Um,” Will said. “Mrs. Bailey?” 

The woman made a scoffing noise. “Not anymore, honey. I went back to my maiden name. Ms. Sullivan. And you must be the twins.” 

Will had become accustomed to people assuming he and El were twins, so he didn’t correct her. It made sense. There wasn’t another good way to explain the fact that they were the same age. 

“Oh,” Will said. “I’m sorry. Yeah, I’m Will and this is my sister Jane.” 

Ms. Sullivan stepped from the doorway and gestured to invite them in. “The kids are in the playroom.” 

Will couldn’t imagine how embarrassed he would be if his mom referred to a room he used as “the playroom.” Not that he had ever lived in a house with enough extra rooms to label one that way. 

Will and El followed Ms. Sullivan to a room where Adam was watching T.V. with two girls. He jumped up when he saw them. 

“Will! Jane! I didn’t hear the doorbell. This is Kim and Michelle.” He gestured to each girl as he introduced her. Kim had a blonde ponytail and the same button nose and pointy chin as her mom. Michelle looked like a female version of Adam, with short sandy hair and glasses. 

“Hi,” El said shyly. 

Michelle smiled. “Nice to meet you both.”

“I’ve seen you around school,” Kim added. “Michelle isn’t in high school yet, though.” 

Will couldn’t help but look around the room while the girls were talking. It was full of toys of every kind. There were dolls, care bears, and ponies collecting dust on high shelves--probably left from when the girls were younger. There were also games, action figures, and--

“Is that a robot?” Will asked. 

“Oh,” Adam said. He turned his head to see what Will was looking at. It was sitting on the floor next to the T.V., a white plastic robot with what looked like red turntables next to him. “Kind of. You use it for a video game.” 

“What video game?” Will asked. 

“Do you like video games?” 

“Yeah!” Will said. “I don’t have any, though.” 

“Do you want to try it?” Adam asked. 

“Sure. Is it on the Atari?” 

“No,” Adam said. “It’s a new game system. The Nintendo. My dad got it for me. He works for a toy company in New York.” 

“I’ve never heard of it.” 

“They’re selling it in New York as a test. My dad says if it sells well they’ll sell it all over. But he doesn’t think it will. It’s a Japanese company.” 

Will had no idea why that meant it wouldn’t sell well, but he assumed that Adam’s dad knew more about it than he did. “Your dad works at a toy store?” 

Kim laughed, but not unkindly. “No,” she said. “He’s an executive for a toy company.” 

“Oh.” Will blushed. It made sense that he would be an executive, especially with them living in a house like this. “So your dad lives in New York?” 

“Yep,” Michelle said. “We hardly ever see him, so he’s always sending us the newest stuff to make up for it.” 

“Not that we don’t appreciate it,” Adam said quickly. “But it’s not the same as having our dad around, you know?” 

“Yeah,” Will said. “My--our dad’s not around either.” 

El looked sad. Will knew she was thinking of a different dad than he was. 

“Anyway,” Michelle said. She looked a little uncomfortable with where the conversation had gone. “Jane, is there anything you want to do? I mean, we can play the Nintendo with the boys if you want, but--”  
“What are those?” El asked, pointing at a row of Barbie dolls on a shelf. They looked like they had never been open. 

“Barbies?” Michelle asked, wrinkling her nose. “I don’t usually play with those anymore,” she said. But when she saw the look on El’s face, she added, “but we can!” 

“I’ve never...had one,” El said. 

“Then we have to play with them!” Kim said. “Wait ‘til you see how many outfits we have, Jane.” 

The three girls moved to the corner of the room where the Barbies were, and Kim pulled out a bin that seemed stuffed to the brim with clothes and other doll accessories. They opened it up and began taking things out, and Will returned his attention to the Nintendo and the robot. 

“So,” Will said. “How do we play this robot?” 

Adam sat on the floor and gestured for Will to sit next to him. “Will,” he said, gesturing to the robot. “This is R.O.B.” 

“Rob?” Will asked. “Like short for Robert?” 

“Short for Robotic Operating Buddy,” Adam said. “It’s an acronym.” 

Adam taught Will how to play a game called Gyromite, in which they made the robot move the red things--which turned out to be tops--to control a platforming game on the T.V. It was complicated, and R.O.B. moved disappointingly slow. They still managed to kill a lot of time with it, which became especially evident when Will released the talking and giggling behind them had stopped, the girls having apparently moved to another room without them noticing. 

“Do you want to try another game?” Adam asked. 

“Sure,” Will said. The novelty of the robot had worn off at this point. 

The next game was called Duck Hunt, and while the technology of the guns was really cool—will didn’t understand how they shot the things that were on the T.V.—the game still made him uncomfortable. 

“Do you have any others?” He asked after a few minutes. 

“Sure,” Adam said. “You don’t like this one?” 

“I just don’t really like guns,” Will admitted. 

“Why not?” Adam asked. “I mean, I’ve never shot a gun or anything but these are fake so it doesn’t seem like a big deal.” 

“I have.” 

“You’ve shot a real gun?”

Will nodded. He remembered his dad yelling at him to just shoot it, just shoot the damn thing, it’s your fault if it gets away, don’t be such a pussy. 

He yanked himself out of the memory before he got too deep into it. He couldn’t let himself flash back like that in front of Adam. He didn’t know how he might react and he didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of his new friend. 

“Will?” Adam asked. “Are you okay?” 

Will shook his head. “No. I mean, yeah. Sorry. It’s not a good memory.” 

“I’m sorry,” Adam said. “Do you- do you want to talk about it?” 

Will had shot guns a number of times in his life, thanks to his dad’s obsession with them. None of those times had been particularly pleasant, but the last time—running out of ammo as he stared down the unearthly monster that was hunting him. Did his shots even do anything to the demogorgon? Maybe they did; maybe the gun saved his life. He tried not to think about it. Thinking about it made his chest feel tight, made him remember the smell of the toxic air and the feeling in his lungs as it seeped into them, filling him, infecting him—

“My dad taught me,” Will choked out. He had to get out of that memory, get back to earth. 

Adam raised his eyebrows. “I’m guessing you and your dad don’t get along very well.” 

“No,” Will said, relieved. It was easier to explain than what was actually making him upset. And it was true, anyway. “He always thinks his interests are more important than mine.”

“My dad’s the same way,” Adam said. “Not with the guns. But he thinks it’s crazy that I don’t want to study business and have a job like his.”

“What do you want to do?” Will asked. 

“Science,” Adam said. “I want to do research and discover new things.”

“What kind of new things?” 

“Diseases, and new cures for them. My dad thinks if I’m interested in medicine I should just become a doctor, because they make more money. Everything is about money for him.” 

Will sighed. His own father had never had any money to make a big deal about. But the way Lonnie Byers used violence to assert his masculinity seemed similar, in a way, to Adam’s dad and his money. He still thought it was probably better, as he looked around at the evidence of a father trying to buy off his children, but he wouldn’t tell Adam that. 

“At least your mom seems nice,” Will said. 

Adam shrugged. “She’s fine when she’s not drinking.” 

“Oh,” Will said. He felt bad for assuming Adam’s life was easier just because he had money. “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay. She’s been doing better lately.”

“That’s good.” Will tried to smile. 

“I can’t believe you guys have been playing that game this whole time,” a voice came suddenly from behind them. Will jumped. The girls had returned to the room. 

“Will, are you two staying for dinner?” Michelle asked. “Jane didn’t know.” 

Will turned around. All three girls were smiling and red-cheeked. They looked like they had been playing outside. Will figured they must have a backyard as impressive as their playroom. El looked happier than she had since they moved to Cape Elizabeth. He wanted to say yes, to let her enjoy herself a little longer, but he knew that Jonathan was coming to pick them up as soon as he got off work. Looking at the clock, he realized how soon that would be. His time with Adam had flown by. 

“No,” Will said. “Thank you, but our brother should already be on his way to pick us up.” 

“Okay,” Kim said. “Well, let’s all get together again soon.” 

“Yeah,” Will said. “Definitely.” El nodded. 

The doorbell rang, and Will heard the clip-clop of Ms. Sullivan’s high heels as she walked to open it. He couldn’t hear anything the two people were saying, but he knew the familiar voice. 

“That’s Jonathan,” Will said. 

Kim and Michelle both hugged El goodbye, and Will was surprised when Kim also hugged him. Adam gave Will a little wave and smile as he left. He didn’t expect a hug--boys didn’t hug each other goodbye, at least not when they would see each other the next day at school. Will wouldn’t have minded a hug from Adam, though. He felt comfortable with Adam, able to talk to him almost as easily as with his family or Mike. He could hardly believe that had managed to find a true friend here in Maine.


End file.
